Admissions Criteria

What We Are Looking For

The committee will evaluate your application relative to the entire applicant pool in a holistic manner. There are no fixed criteria, no minimum scores for GMAT or TOEFL, no minimum GPA, and no formula or weighting of specific areas of the application.

You may find it helpful to read the Texas MBA Insider blog, where our admissions team will be posting helpful tips and information to consider as you are putting together your application.

Academic Aptitude

McCombs is a demanding, fast-paced, and collaborative environment. The admissions committee is looking for applicants who demonstrate strong academic performance and intellectual ability. Although candidates can petition to waive the GMAT or GRE requirement, test scores can provide further evidence of academic aptitude, and strong scores can make a candidate’s application more competitive

The Graduate and International Admissions Center calculates a GPA using undergraduate, upper-division (junior- and senior-level) coursework, and any graduate work already completed. McCombs does not require prior coursework in management or business administration, but does require a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a comparable degree from a foreign academic institution. If you have questions on whether or not your international degree is equivalent to a U.S. Bachelor’s degree, please contact GIAC.

Professional Experience

We strongly recommend that MBA applicants have a minimum of five years full-time, post-baccalaureate work experience. The admissions committee is especially interested in the quality of professional skills as shown by responsibility, leadership, supervision, and teamwork. The committee also considers the relevance of these skills to your intended course of study and your career goals.

We will closely review your references, so you should select recommenders who clearly understand your professional background and aspirations.

Personal Characteristics

The culture at McCombs creates a distinctive atmosphere that blends rigorous intensity and relaxed collegiality, social activity and individuality, a sense of community and an appreciation for diversity. We're looking for traits that make you a unique candidate for our program. This includes characteristics that cannot be quantitatively measured, such as communication, initiative, maturity, integrity, and self-awareness. In addition, candidates are expected to be capable of making and sustaining the commitment to a rigorous MBA program while working. All of these components are considered holistically and no specific weight is assigned to any criterion nor formulas used.

We will rely on your resume, essays, recommendations, and interview to tell us your story and why you believe McCombs is the right place for you.